Modular water purification device

ABSTRACT

A water purification device comprising a pre-purified water reservoir for storing pre-purified water, a water vapor chamber for receiving water vapor generated from heating the pre-purified water in the pre-purified water reservoir, a condensation chamber for receiving the water vapor and condensing the water vapor into purified water, and a Peltier device comprising a hot side and a cold side. The hot side of the Peltier device heats the pre-purified water into water vapor and the cold side of the Peltier device condenses the water vapor into purified water.

CLAIM OF BENEFIT TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/945,768, filed on Jul. 31, 2020, and published as U.S.Patent Publication No. 2021/0039007. U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/945,768 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/883,076, filed on Aug. 5, 2019. The contents of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/945,768 published as U.S. Patent Publication No.2021/0039007 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/883,076 arehereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Population growth and industrial advances have resulted in increasedfresh water demand for domestic, farming, and industrial uses. As demandfor freshwater increases, traditional sources of freshwater such asreservoirs, wells, rivers, and lakes are becoming depleted.

The vast amount of salt water in the oceans, brackish water in estuariesand aquifers, brine in the Earth's surface and crust, and water inrivers and lakes may be purified for use as fresh water for differentapplications. Different purification and desalination techniques areused to produce purified water. These techniques are generally expensiveto implement, require large amount of energy, and the resultingpurification and desalination plants are not modular and scalable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various embodiments of the present modular water purification devicenow will be discussed in detail with an emphasis on highlighting theadvantageous features. These embodiments depict the novel andnon-obvious modular water purification device shown in the accompanyingdrawings, which are for illustrative purposes only. These drawingsinclude the following figures, in which like numerals indicate likeparts:

FIG. 1A is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of amodular water purification device where the purified water may becascaded through several modular water purification devices, accordingto various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of amodular water purification device where the purified water istransferred out of each modular water purification device, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices where the purified watermay be cascaded through several modular water purification devices,according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices where the purified wateris transferred out of each modular water purification device, accordingto various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an upper front perspective view of a Peltier device, accordingto various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5A is a top elevational view of the modular water purificationdevice of FIG. 1A, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5B is a top elevational view of the modular water purificationdevice of FIG. 1B, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6A is an upper front perspective view of one example embodiment ofa modular water purification device, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6B is an upper rear perspective view of the modular waterpurification device of FIG. 6A, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6C is an upper front perspective view of one example embodiment ofa modular water purification device that includes one or more solarpanels, according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6D is an upper rear perspective view of the modular waterpurification device of FIG. 6C, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 6E and 6F are side elevational views of one example embodiment ofa modular water purification device that includes one or more foldablesolar panels, according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a state diagram for a modular water purification device,according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices that includes one or morerows of modular water purification devices, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure;

FIGS. 9A-9B are a flowchart illustrating an example process forpurifying water by a cascade of modular water purification devices,according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a flowchart illustrating an example process forpurifying water by a cascade of modular water purification devices,according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices with one or more controland monitoring servers and a robot for replacing Peltier devices,according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices that receives electricityfrom solar panels associated with one or more of the modular waterpurification devices, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices that receives electricityfrom one or more solar panels, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices and different sources ofenergy that may be used by the cascade, according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices that receives energy froma utility power line, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 16 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment a singlemodular water purification device used as a standalone waterpurification device, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 17A-17C illustrate examples of curves illustrating the rate ofincrease of temperature during a water purification cycle, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram of one example embodiment of anelectronic system with which some embodiments of the invention areimplemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One aspect of the present embodiments includes the realization thatpurifying a large amount of water for municipal, farming, or industrialuse requires large plants that are expensive and consume large amount ofelectricity. Such plants are time consuming to construct and aredifficult to repair. The plants that vaporize feed water and condensatethe water vapor into purified water need compressors and refrigerants.The compressors have moving parts that may break down. The refrigerantsmay pollute the environment and may contribute to the greenhouse gaseffect.

Some of the present embodiments solve the aforementioned problems byproviding a modular water purification device and may be connected tosimilar devices to form a cascade of water purification devices.Cascading the modular water purification devices provides scalability byadding or removing individual devices. The modular devices may providehealth status and performance metrics. Faulty devices may quickly beidentified and replaced.

Each modular water purification device may have a valve for taking infeed water (e.g., salt water, brackish water, brine, water from lakes,rivers, wells). The cascade may go repeatedly through a fill cycle,followed by a water purification cycle, followed by a wash cycle. Duringthe fill cycle, the feed water reservoir in each modular device isfilled with feed water. During the water purification cycle, the feedwater is vaporized and condensed into purified water. During the washcycle the feed water is passed through each modular device in order towash the salt and/or other sediments that may be accumulated inside themodular devices. The purified water, in some embodiments, may betransferred through the cascade and collected into a reservoir. Thepurified water, in other embodiments, may be transferred out of eachindividual modular device into one or more reservoirs.

Some of the present embodiments use a Peltier device to heat the feedwater into water vapor and to condense the water vapor into purifiedwater. The Peltier device creates a cooling effect without a compressor,refrigerants, or moving parts. The Peltier devices are durable, consumesmall amount of energy, easy to diagnose, and easy to replace.

Some of the present embodiments may provide assistance to the Peltierdevice to heat the water. Some of these embodiments may use heatdirectly received from the Sun to heat the feed water and/or to generatewater vapor. Some of the present embodiments use electricity generatedfrom solar cells to heat the feed water and/or to generate water vapor.Some of these embodiments may receive enough energy directly from thesun and/or from solar panels that the water purification cascade maywork as a standalone system without needing external sources of energy,for example, from a municipal power grid. Some embodiments may provideone or more auxiliary heating elements that may be turned on if the heatgenerated by the Peltier device is either not enough to boil water orthe Peltier device may take longer than a time limit to heat the water.Some embodiments may provide a fan inside the modular water purificationdevice to move the hot water vapor down from a hot water vapor chambertowards a condensation chamber.

FIG. 1A is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of amodular water purification device where the purified water may becascaded through several modular water purification devices, accordingto various aspects of the present disclosure. The modular waterpurification device 100 (also referred to as modular desalination devicewhen the device is used for desalinating salt water, brackish water, orbrine water) may be used as a portable device or may be anchored, forexample, to a platform. The modular water purification device 100 may beconnected to several other modular water purification devices to form acascade for purifying water.

With reference to FIG. 1A, the modular water purification device 100 mayinclude a frame 105, several valves 101-104, a hot water vapor chamber110, a condensation chamber 115, a water vapor channel 116, a feed waterreservoir 120, one or more water level sensors 121, one or more humiditysensors 122, one or more temperature sensors 123, a cascade power feed130, a cascade signal feed 136, several pipes (or channels) 131-134, athermoelectric cooler (or Peltier device) 140, a controller 150, one ormore auxiliary heating elements 155, one or more support structures(e.g., beams, poles, columns, etc.) 171-172, a fan 180, insulators 185,a local power feed 190, and a local signal feed 195.

The frame 105 may encompass the hot water vapor chamber 110, thecondensation chamber 115, the water vapor channel 116, the feed waterreservoir 120, and the Peltier device 140. The valve 101 may bring feedwater (also referred herein as pre-purified water) through the feedwater input pipe (or channel) 131. Examples of the feed water include,without any limitations, salt water from the oceans, salt water fromlakes, brackish water from estuaries and aquifers, brine from theEarth's surface and crust, fresh water from rivers, lakes, well, tapwater that may require purification, etc. When the modular waterpurification device 100 is the first device in the cascade, the feedwater may come from an outside water source. When the modular waterpurification device 100 is not the first device in the cascade, the feedwater may come from the previous device in the cascade.

The feed water may be stored in the feed water reservoir 120. The feedwater reservoir 120 may be made of a non-corrosive material such as, forexample, and without limitations, galvanized steel, aluminum, etc. Thefeed water reservoir 120, in some embodiments, may be in the shape of anopen bowl, which may be secured to the sides of the frame 105 and thesupport structure(s) 171 such that no feed water may leak into thecondensation chamber 115.

In some of the present embodiments, a thin metal plate (not shown), madeof a non-corrosive material such as, for example, and withoutlimitations, galvanized steel, aluminum, etc., may cover the hot side143 of the Peltier device 140, may function as the bottom of the feedwater reservoir 120, and may seal the water reservoir 120 such that nofeed water may leak into the condensation chamber 115. The valve 102 maytransfer the feed water out of the modular water purification device 100trough the feed water output channel 132.

In some of the present embodiments (such as the embodiment depicted inFIG. 1A), the purified water may be channeled through the cascade by thevalves 103 and 104 through purified water pipes 133 and 134. In otherembodiments (such as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B), the purifiedwater may be transferred out of each modular water purification device100 into one or more external purified water reservoirs. The feed andpurified water channels may be made of material such as, withoutlimitations, polyvinyl chloride (PCV), Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride(CPVC), copper, galvanized steel, galvanized iron, chromed copper, etc.

FIG. 1B is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of amodular water purification device where the purified water istransferred out of each modular water purification device, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. With reference to FIG. 1B,the purified water that is collected at the bottom of the frame 105 maybe transferred out of the modular water purification device 100 througha valve 106 and the purified water output channel 135. Other componentsof FIG. 1B may be similar to the corresponding components of FIG. 1A.

Some embodiments may include a mineral mixer on the purified wateroutput 135 to add minerals to the purified water. In the embodimentsthat the purified water output 134 (FIG. 1A) is carried through thecascade, the mineral mixer (not shown) may be placed on the purifiedwater output 134 of the last modular water purification device 100 inthe cascade. Further details of the mineral mixers of the presentembodiments are provided below with reference to the mineral mixer 1605of FIG. 16.

Some embodiments may measure the level 125 and/or the flow of thepurified water over time, which may be used in identifying theefficiency of the system and determining the amount of the purifiedwater generated by the system. Some embodiments may include a flow meter127 (FIG. 1B) at the purified water output 135 of each modular waterpurification device 100 to measure the flow of the purified water. Inthe embodiments that the purified water output 134 (FIG. 1A) is carriedthrough the cascade, the flow meter (not shown) may be placed on thepurified water output channel 134 of the last modular water purificationdevice 100 in the cascade. The flow meter 127, in some embodiments, maybe integrated inside the purified output valve 106 (FIG. 1B) of eachmodular water purification device 100. In some of the embodiments thatthe purified water output 134 (FIG. 1A) is carried through the cascade,the flow meter may be integrated in the purified output valve 104 of thelast modular water purification device 100 in the cascade.

In addition to, or in lieu of the flow meter, some embodiments may useone or more sensors inside a modular water purification device 100 tomeasure the level 125 of the purified water at different time instances.For example, some embodiments may include an array of light detectors(not shown) on the of inside of one of walls of the modular waterpurification device 100 and an array of light emitting didoes (LEDs)(not shown) or any other light source on an opposite wall of the modularwater purification device 100.

The array of light detectors and the array of LEDs may be positionedtowards the bottom of the modular water purification device 100 wherethe purified water is collected. The part of the array of the lightdetectors that is below the purified water level 125 may detect adifferent light pattern than the part that is outside the purified waterand the boundary between the two parts may be detected to provide anindication of the purified water level 125.

As described further below with reference to FIG. 3, the purified watermay be transferred from the purified water output channel 135 of FIG. 1Binto one or more external reservoirs. Although only one valve 106 andone purified water output channel 135 are shown in FIG. 1B, the modularwater purification device 100, in some embodiments, may have severalpurified water output channels and the corresponding valves fortransferring the purified water out of the device. In addition, sincethe purified water in the embodiments of FIG. 1B is not channeledthrough the cascade, different modular water purification devices (e.g.,different models) may have different number of purified water outputchannels.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade 200 of modular water purification devices where the purifiedwater may be cascaded through several modular water purificationdevices, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Themodular water purification devices 100 of FIG. 2 may be similar to themodular water purification device 100 of FIG. 1A. For simplicity, FIG. 2only shows the interconnection of input and output channels of the feedwater and the purified water of the modular water purification devices100 in the cascade 200.

With reference to FIG. 2, the valve 101 may bring the feed water intothe modular water purification device 100. The valve 102 may transferthe feed water out of the modular water purification device 100. Thefeed water output channel 132 of each device (except the last device inthe cascade 200) may be connected to the feed water input channel 131 ofnext device in the cascade 200, for example and without limitation,through a pipe fitting 215. When the modular water purification device100 is the last device in the cascade 200, the feed water may betransferred outside the cascade 200.

The valve 103 may bring purified water into the modular waterpurification device 100 through the purified water input pipe (orchannel) 133. The valve 104 may transfer purified water out of themodular water purification device 100 through the purified water outputpipe (or channel) 134. The purified water output channel 134 of eachdevice (except the last device in the cascade 200) may be connected tothe purified water input channel 133 of next device in the cascade 200,for example and without limitation, through a pipe fitting 210. When themodular water purification device 100 is the first device in the cascade200, the valve 103 may be closed and no purified water may come frominto the device. When the modular water purification device 100 is notthe first device in the cascade 200, the purified water may come fromthe previous device in the cascade.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade 300 of modular water purification devices where the purifiedwater is transferred out of each modular water purification device,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The valves101-102 in FIG. 3 may be similar to the valves 101-102 in FIG. 2, andthe feed water channels 131 and 132 in FIG. 3 may be connected to eachother, as described above with reference to FIG. 2.

With reference to FIG. 3, the purified water is transferred out of eachmodular water purification device 100 into one or more externalreservoirs 310 (only one reservoir is shown). Each modular waterpurification device 100 may be supported by one or more supportstructures 350. The support structures may be, without limitation, inthe form of poles, tubes, columns, etc., such that the movement ofpurified water inside the purified water reservoir(s) is not blocked.

Each modular water purification device 100 may include one or morevalves 106 and the corresponding purified water output channel(s) 135(e.g., one or more pipes) for transferring the purified water out of themodular water purification device 100. The cascade 300 may include oneor more sensors 305 for measuring the level 320 of the purified waterinside the purified water reservoir(s) 310.

With reference to FIGS. 1A-1B, the valves 101-104 and 106 may beelectronically controllable. In some of the present embodiments, thevalves 101-104 and 106 may receive control signals through the localcontrol signal feed 195 to open or close. For example, the valves101-104 and 106 may receive the signals from the controller 150 (or froma controller outside the modular water purification device 100).

The controller 150 may be (or may include) a processing unit. Examplesof the processing unit may include, for example, and withoutlimitations, as a processor such as a microprocessor, a controller, amicrocontroller, a central processing unit or CPU, etc. The controller150 may include (or may be associated with) volatile memory andnon-volatile storage. The controller may receive, for example, from oneor more flow meters (not shown) and/or may calculate the amount of thefeed water that comes into the modular water purification device 100,the amount of the feed water that is transferred out, the amount of thepurified water that comes in (in case of FIG. 1A), and/or the amount ofthe feed water that is transferred out using the characteristics of thevalves 101-104 and 106 and the amount of time each valve is kept opened.Although the controller 150 is shown to be located inside the frame 105of the modular water purification device 100, in some embodiments, thecontroller 150 may be located outside the frame 105.

The controller may receive and/or calculate other metrics such as, forexample, and without limitations, humidity, temperature, feed and/orpurified water level(s), pressure, etc., from different sensors of themodular water purification device 100.

As described below, the modular water purification device 100 may gothrough several cycles during its operation and the valves 101-104 mayreceive signals to open and close during different cycles. Although onlyone valve is shown for each function of bringing in the feed water,bringing in the purified water, transferring the feed water out, andtransferring the purified water out, some of the present embodiments mayuse more than one valve and the associated channels for some of thesefunctions.

With further reference to FIGS. 1A-1B, the modular water purificationdevice 100 may include a Peltier device 140. The Peltier device is athermoelectric cooling device that uses Peltier effect to create a heatflux at the junction of two different material. FIG. 4 is an upper frontperspective view of a Peltier device, according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

With reference to FIG. 4, the Peltier device 140 may include a cold side142, a hot side 143, several electrical conductors 420, several p-typesemiconductors 440, and several n-type semiconductors 445. The p-typesemiconductor may be, for example, p-doped bismuth telluride. The n-typesemiconductor may be, for example, n-doped bismuth telluride.

The semiconductors 440-445 are placed thermally in parallel to each andelectrically in series. A p-type semiconductor and an n-typesemiconductor are placed next to each other as a semiconductor couple. APeltier device may include from one to hundreds of semiconductorcouples. The semiconductors 440-445 are joined with the thermallyconductive plates 142 and 143, which are referred to as the cold sideand the hot side, respectively. The cold side 142 and the hot side 143plates may be made of a material such as, for example, ceramic to act asa heat conductor and an electrical insulator.

When a voltage is applied, for example from a power source 430, such asthe local power feed 190 (FIGS. 1A-1B), to the electrical conductors120, a flow of direct current is generated in series across the junctionof the semiconductors, causing a temperature difference. The side withthe cooling plate 142 absorbs heat, the heat is then moved to the hotside 143 of the Peltier device 140. The Peltier device 140 creates acooling effect without a compressor, refrigerants, or moving parts.

For the Peltier device 140 to operate properly and efficiently, the heatgenerated on the hot side 143 must be removed and transferred from thePeltier device 140. In applications such as cooling of processor chipsin high performance computers, this heat removal is accomplished viaheat sinks placed on the hot side of the device. In the embodiments ofthe present invention, the water on the hot side 143 of the Peltierdevice 140 acts as the heat sink and the heat generated on the hot side143 helps with generating the needed water vapor. The embodiments of thepresent invention are ideal applications where both the cold 142 and hot143 sides of the Peltier device 140 are efficiently used to accomplishthe water purification task. In contrast, in applications such ascooling of processor chips, extra work must be done to move the heatfrom the hot side of the Peltier device.

With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the Peltier device 140 may receivepower (i.e., electrical power or electricity) from the local power feed190. The Peltier device's hot side 143 may heat up and evaporate thefeed water stored in the feed water reservoir 120. Some of the presentembodiments may include one or more auxiliary heating elements 155. Theheating element(s) 155 may receive power from the local power feed 190and may generate heat in addition to the heat generated by the Peltierdevice's hot side 143 in order to evaporate the feed water.

The auxiliary heating elements 155, in some embodiments, may be turnedon or off by the controller 150. For example, the controller 150 mayreceive temperature measurements from one or more temperature sensors123 inside the feed water reservoir 120 to measure the temperature ofthe feed water. The controller 150 may receive temperature measurementsfrom one or more temperature sensors 123 inside the hot water vaporchamber 110 to measure the temperature of the gas (e.g., air or watervapor) inside the hot water vapor chamber 110.

The controller 150 may determine the rate of change of temperatureinside the feed water reservoir 120 during the water purification cycle.The controller 150 may determine the amount of water in the feed waterreservoir from the feed water level sensor(s) 121 measurements. Thecontroller 150 may use a function of the rate of change of temperatureinside the feed water reservoir 120, the amount of water that is in thefeed water reservoir 120, the time elapsed since the start of the waterpurification cycle, and/or the temperature outside of the frame 105 inorder to determine whether to turn the auxiliary heating element(s) 155on or off. For example, the controller 150 may turn on the auxiliaryheating element(s) 155 if the controller 150 determines that the rate ofchange of the temperature of water inside the feed water reservoir 120is not high enough for the water to reach the boiling point. As anotherexample, the controller 150 may turn on the auxiliary heating element(s)155 if the controller 150 determines that it may take a long time intothe water purification cycle before the water in the feed waterreservoir 120 comes to a boiling point and it may be more efficient toturn the auxiliary heating element(s) 155 to reach the boing pointfaster.

The controller 150 may turn off the auxiliary heating element(s) 155 if,for example, the controller 150 determines that the water in the feedwater reservoir has reached the boiling point. In some embodiments, thecontroller 150 may keep the auxiliary heating element(s) 155 on for atime period after the water reaches the boiling point before turning offthe auxiliary heating element(s) 155.

FIG. 17A-17C illustrate examples of curves illustrating the rate ofincrease of temperature during a water purification cycle, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. The curves 1701-1703 show thetemperature measurements inside the feed water reservoir that are madeduring a water purification cycle (the normalized time for the waterpurification cycle is shown starting from 0 and ending to t_(PC)). Theboiling temperature of water in the feed water reservoir 120 is shown atTMP_(B).

In the example of FIG. 17A, the controller 150 may receive thetemperature measurements and may determine that the slope of the curve1701 is rising. For example, after receiving a plurality of temperaturemeasurements at the beginning of the water purification cycle (e.g.,during the period 1730), the controller 150 (FIGS. 1A-1B) may determinethat the temperature of water inside the feed water reservoir may riseand may eventually reach the boiling temperature of water TMP_(B) attime t₁. If the controller 150 determines that reaching the boilingtemperature of water at time t₁ provides enough remaining time duringthe water purification cycle to vaporize at least a predetermined amountof water, the controller 150 may not turn on the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155 (FIGS. 1A-1B).

In the example of FIG. 17B, the controller 150 may receive thetemperature measurements during the period 1730 and may determine thatthe slope of the curve 1702 is not rising enough to reach the boilingtemperature TMP_(B) during the water purification cycle (e.g., as shownby the curve 1740 that may be determined by the controller 150 byextrapolating the temperature measurements during the period 1730). Thecontroller 150 may turn on the auxiliary heating element(s) 155 at timet₁. In some embodiments, after the temperature of water inside the feedwater reservoir reaches the boiling temperature TMP_(B), the controller150 may turn off the auxiliary heating element(s) 155 (e.g., at timet3). In other embodiments, the controller 150 may not turn off theauxiliary heating element(s) 155 until the end of the water purificationcycle.

In the example of FIG. 17C, the controller 150 may receive thetemperature measurements during the period 1730 and may determine thatthe slope of the curve 1703 is such that the temperature inside the feedwater reservoir may reach the boiling temperature TMP_(B) at time t4(e.g., as shown by the curve 1740 that may be determined by thecontroller 150 by extrapolating the temperature measurements during theperiod 1730). If the controller 150 determines that reaching the boilingtemperature of water at time t4 may not provide enough remaining timeduring the water purification cycle to vaporize at least a predeterminedamount of water, the controller 150 may turn on the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155 (e.g., at time t₅). The embodiment of FIG. 17C providesthe technical advantage of purifying at least a per-determined amount ofwater during a water purification cycle. The controller 150 may,therefore, control the turning on or off of the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155 in order to purify a certain volume of water in thecycle.

In some embodiments, after the temperature of water inside the feedwater reservoir reaches the boiling temperature TMP_(B), the controller150 may turn off the auxiliary heating element(s) 155 (e.g., at timet₆). In other embodiments, the controller 150 may not turn off theauxiliary heating element(s) 155 until the end of the water purificationcycle.

It should be noted that the characteristics of the curves 1701-1703 maydepend on the initial temperature of the feed water at the beginning ofthe water purification cycle, the amount of feed water collected insidethe feed water reservoir at the beginning of the water purificationcycle, etc.

In addition, the time of the day and whether there is sunlight mayaffect the curves 1701-1703. As described below with reference to FIGS.6A-6F, a portion of the frame 105, in some embodiments, may includeglass and/or may generate a lens effect that may transfer heat from thesun into the top portion of the modular water purification device 100 toheat the feed water and/or to generate water vapor. Other embodimentsmay only use the Peltier device's hot side 143 to evaporate the feedwater.

The Peltier device 140 may be able to create a temperature differencebetween the hot side 143 and the cold side 142. Depending on the ambienttemperature, the temperature of the hot side 143 may reach to atemperature that may boil the feed water. Some of the presentembodiments may measure the temperature of the different parts of themodular water purification device 100 (e.g., the temperature of the feedwater in the feed water reservoir 120 and/or the temperature of the hotwater vapor chamber 110 using one or more temperature sensors 123). Insome of these embodiments, the auxiliary heating element(s) 155 may beturned on during the water purification cycle if the temperature of thehot side 143 of the Peltier device 140 is not enough to boil theper-purified water. The auxiliary heating element(s) 155 may be made ofmetal and may generate heat when electricity is passed through them. Theauxiliary heating element(s) 155, in some embodiments, may be inside thefeed water reservoir 120 and may be fixed to the feed water reservoir120 at one or more places.

The Peltier device 140 may be substantially as wide as the feed waterreservoir 120. The Peltier device 140, the auxiliary heating element(s)155, and the feed water reservoir 120 may be supported on three sides bythe frame 105 and on one side by the support structure(s) 171. Thesupport structure(s) 171 may be a column, a beam, a pole, or otherwise astructure that does not block the movement of water vapor from the hotwater vapor chamber 100 into the water vapor channel 116. As describedbelow with reference to FIG. 11, the Peltier device, in someembodiments, may be on a set of rails on at least two sides to alloweasy removal and replacement of the Peltier device 140.

With reference to FIGS. 1A-1B, as the feed water is heated by thePeltier device's hot side 143 (and optionally by other means such as theauxiliary heating element(s) 155 and/or the heat received from the Sun),the hot water vapor rises into the hot water vapor chamber 110. The hotwater vapor may move from the hot water vapor chamber 110 into the watervapor channel 116 by convection. Some of the present embodiments mayinclude a fan 180 in the water vapor channel 16 between the hot watervapor chamber 110 and the condensation chamber 5 to move the water vaporfrom the upper portion of the water vapor channel 116 to the lowerportion of the water vapor channel 116 and to the condensation chamber115.

The fan 180, in some embodiments, may operate at a rate per minutes(RPM) that does not create turbulence in the water vapor channel 116.For example, the fan's RPM may be 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, etc. The fan 180 maybe placed on a support structure, such as, for example, and withoutlimitations, the support structure 172. The support structure 172 may bea column, a beam, a pole, or otherwise a structure that does not blockthe movement of water vapor from the upper portion of the water vaporchannel 116 into the lower portion of the water vapor channel 116. Sincethe hot gasses tend to rise, the fan 180 provides the technicaladvantage of moving the hot air from the hot water vapor chamber 110(which is located on the upper portion of the frame 105) down into thecondensation chamber 115 (which is located on the lower portion of theframe 105). The speed of the fan 180 and its on-off timing, in someembodiments, may be controlled by the controller 150. The controller 150may change the speed of the fan 180 to change the amount of hot watervapor that may move from the hot water vapor chamber 110, through thewater vapor channel, and into the condensation chamber 115.

For example, the fan 150 may be off at the beginning of a waterpurification cycle. The controller 150 may receive temperaturemeasurements from one or more temperature sensors 123 inside the feedwater reservoir 120. The controller 150 may keep the fan 150 off untilthe temperature measurements indicate that the feed water is boilinginside the feed water reservoir 120. The controller 150 may receive themeasurement of the amount of water that is purified (e.g., and withoutlimitations, from the flow meter 127) after the feed water startsboiling during a purification cycle. The controller 150 may start thefan 180 (e.g., by applying power to the fan) if the amount of water thatis purified during the purification cycle is below a threshold. Thecontroller 150 may continue receiving the measurement of the amount ofwater that is purified after the fan is started and may increase thespeed of the fan 180 if the amount of water that is purified during thepurification cycle is below the threshold. The controller 150 may turnoff the fan (e.g., by removing power from the fan) either at the end ofthe water purification cycle or when the amount of purified water duringthe water purification cycle reaches the threshold.

It should be noted that the fan 180 is completely located inside theframe 105 of the modular water purification device 100 and moves the airand vapor inside the frame 105 in a closed chamber. The fan 180 isunlike a fan that has access to outside air and may circulate air andgasses between inside and outside of a chamber (e.g., to cool thechamber). Due to the fact that, unlike in conventional applications, thefan 180 of the present embodiments is used in a closed environment withthe sole function of moving the hot water vapor from one chamber toanother, being able to control its speed and its on-off timing isessential in order to avoid creating turbulence inside the chambers.

Some of the present embodiments may not use a fan and may allow thewater vapor to move from the hot water vapor chamber 110 into the watervapor channel 116 and the condensation chamber 115 by convection. Thewater vapor in the condensation chamber 115 may come into contact withthe Peltier device's cold side 142 and may condense into purified water.The purified water may be collected at the bottom of the frame 105.

FIG. 5A is a top elevational view of the modular water purificationdevice of FIG. 1A, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. With reference to FIG. 5A, the Peltier device, the feedwater reservoir, the hot water vapor chamber, and the condensationchamber may substantially extend on three sides to the three sides501-503 of the frame 105 and on one side (as shown by 504) to theinterior of the frame 105. The Peltier device and the feed waterreservoir may be supported by the support structure(s) 171. The supportstructures may be one or more beams, bars, poles, etc., for holding thePeltier device and the feed water reservoir.

With further reference to FIG. 5A, the auxiliary heating element(s) 155may have any arbitrary shape. The auxiliary heating element(s) 155 maybe connected to the frame 105 by one or more structures 590 such asrods, beams, poles, etc.

FIG. 5B is a top elevational view of the modular water purificationdevice of FIG. 1B, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. With reference to FIG. 5B, the modular water purificationdevice 100 may include a purified water output channel 135 and a valve106 that may transfer the purified water to a reservoir outside themodular water purification device 100. Other components of FIG. 5B maybe similar to the components of FIG. 5A.

With reference to FIGS. 5A-5B, the relative location of the feed waterinput channel 131, the feed water output channel 132, the purified waterinput channel 133, the purified water output channel 134-135, thecascade power feed 130, the cascade signal feed 136, the supportstructures 171-172, the fan 180, the controller 150, and the valves101-105 are shown as example. The location of these components maychange in different embodiments as a design choice.

With reference to FIGS. 1A-1B, the frame 105 may be used to cover thewater purification device's components. FIG. 6A is an upper frontperspective view of one example embodiment of a modular waterpurification device, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 6B is an upper rear perspective view of the modularwater purification device of FIG. 6A, according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

With reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the modular water purification device150 may include a cascade signal feed 136. In some of the presentembodiments, the controller 150 (FIGS. 1A-1B) may collect health andstatus information from different components of the modular waterpurification device. The controller 150 may calculate performancemetrics such as the amount of purified water generated in a time period,the input and output rate of the feed water, etc. The controller 150 mayreceive data regarding temperature, pressure, humidity, flow rate, waterlevel, etc., from different sensors of the modular water purificationdevice 100. The controller 150 may filter the data, calculate differentmetrics, and/or store raw and calculated metrics. As described belowwith reference to FIG. 11, the controller may communicate theinformation with one or more electronic devices through the cascadesignal feed 136.

The cascade signal feed 136 may go through the modular waterpurification devices by connecting the cascade signal feeds 136 of theadjacent devices. The cascade signal feed wire(s) 136 wires may gothrough a tube 640 that may be accessible through a fixture 685 that isattached to the frame 105 by one or more bolts or screws 686. Thecascade signal feed 136 may be one or more wires. Some embodiments mayinclude one or more antennas (not shown) that may be used by thecontroller, in addition to, or in lieu of, the cascade signal feed, tocommunicate with one or more electronic devices.

With continued reference to FIGS. 6A and 15B, the modular waterpurification device 150 may include a cascade power feed 130. Thecascade power feed 130 may be two or more wires that may go through atube 645 that may be accessible through a fixture 660 that is attachedto the frame 105 by one or more bolts or screws 661.

In some of the present embodiments, the top portion (e.g., the portionabove the line 670) of the frame 105 that covers the hot water vaporchamber 110 (FIGS. 1A-1B) and the feed water reservoir 120 may be madeof a transparent material such as glass that allow the sunlight to enterthe top portion 670 of the frame 105 to heat up the feed water and/orgenerate hot water vapor. The extra energy received from the Sun throughthe transparent portion of the frame may be used in addition to theenergy received from the Peltier device and/or the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155 (FIGS. 1A-1B). The transparent material, in someembodiments, may be made to create a lens effect to further intensifythe sunlight entering the top portion 670 of the frame 105.

With further reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the lower portion (e.g., theportion below the line 670) of the frame 105 that covers thecondensation chamber 115 (FIGS. 1A-1B) may be made of opaque material toblock the sunlight. The lower portion of the frame 105, in someembodiments, may be covered by an insulator and/or may be made ofinsulating material to thermally insulate the lower portion of the frame105. The lower portion of the frame 105, in some embodiments, may bedouble layered with vacuum between the two layers to provide insulation.

With further reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a portion the frame 105(e.g., the portion between the lines 670 and 675) may be covered by aninsulator 185. In the depicted embodiment, the insulator covers the areaof the frame 105 that is in contact with the Peltier device 140 (FIGS.1A-1B) to prevent heat exchange between the Peltier device and theoutside of the modular water purification device 100.

In some of the present embodiments, a portion of the frame 105 that isconnected to the Peltier device (e.g., the portion on the side 503 thatis directly under the insulator 185) may be removable. The removableportion of the frame may be connected to a gripping element 605 such asa handle, a hook, a bar, a magnet, etc., that may allow the easy removaland insertion of the Peltier device into the frame 105. For example,another device, such as a robot, may include a matching grabbing elementsuch as an actuator to grab the handle, the hook, or the bar to grab theremovable portion of the frame 105. As another example, a robot actuatormay include a magnet to grab the magnet that is connected to theremovable portion of the frame 105.

The gripping element 605 on the removable portion of the frame may beused by a human or a robot to remove the Peltier device and thedetachable portion of the frame and insert another Peltier device thatis connected to a gripping element and a similar detachable portion ofthe frame. In some embodiments, the water purification device 100 may beconfigured such that other components of the water purification device100 may also be connected to the removable portion of the frame 105. Forexample, and without limitations, the auxiliary heating element(s) 155,in some embodiments, may be positioned such that the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155 may also be connected to the removable portion of theframe 105.

In some embodiments, the Peltier device, the corresponding removableportion of the frame, and a section of the insulator 185 that isconnected to the removable portion of the frame may come off by pullingthe gripping element 605 and may be replaced by another Peltier device,a corresponding removable portion of the frame, and a correspondingsection of the insulator.

With reference to FIG. 6A, the feed water output channel 132 transfersthe feed water out of the modular water purification device 100. In theembodiments that transfer the purified water through the cascade, thepurified water output channel 134 transfers the purified water out ofthe modular water purification device 100.

With reference to FIG. 6B, the feed water input channel 132 may receivethe feed water into the modular water purification device 100. In theembodiments that transfer the purified water through the cascade, thepurified water input channel 134 may receive the purified water into themodular water purification device 100.

The modular water purification device may optionally include one or moresolar panels. FIG. 6C is an upper front perspective view of one exampleembodiment of a modular water purification device that includes one ormore solar panels, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 6D is an upper rear perspective view of the modularwater purification device of FIG. 6C, according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

With reference to FIGS. 6C and 6D, the modular water purification device150 may include one or more solar panels 610. Each solar panel 610 mayinclude one or more solar cells 615. The solar panel(s) 610 may providepower to the modular water purification device 100 and/or to thecascade.

The solar panel(s) 610, in some embodiments, may be connected by one ormore support structures 617 to the frame 105. In other embodiments, thesolar panel(s) 610 may be directly connected to the frame 105.

In some of the present embodiments, the solar panels may be attached tothe frame by one or more foldable arms to facilitate shipping and movingaround the frame and the solar panels as a single unit. FIGS. 6E and 6Fare side elevational views of one example embodiment of a modular waterpurification device that includes one or more foldable solar panels,according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

With reference to FIGS. 6E and 6F, the solar panel(s) 610 may beattached to the frame 105 by one or more fixed arms 618 and one or morefoldable arms. FIG. 6E shows the arm(s) 619 being folded (e.g., duringtransportation of the modular water purification device). FIG. 6F showsthe arm(s) 619 being extended (e.g., during the operation of the modularwater purification device). Other components of FIGS. 6C-6F may besimilar to the components of 6A-6B, described above.

With reference to FIGS. 1A-1B, the controller 150 may receive power fromthe cascade power feed 130 (e.g., through the connection 197) and mayprovide power to other components of the modular water purificationdevice 100 through the local power feed 190. The controller 150 maycommunicate with one or more external electronic devices through thecascade signal feed 136 and the connection 198. In the embodiments thatinclude an antenna, the controller 150 may communicate with one or moreexternal electronic devices through the antenna.

The controller 150 may control the operation of and/or may receivesignals from the valves 101-104, the hot water level sensor(s) 121measuring the feed water level 124, the auxiliary heating element(s)155, the fan 180, and the Peltier device 140 through the local signalfeed 195.

In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B, the controller 150 mayreceive power from the cascade power feed 130 (e.g., through theconnection 197) and may provide power to other components of the modularwater purification device 100 through the local power feed 190. In otherembodiments, the cascade power feed 130 may be directly connected to thelocal power feed 190.

The controller 150 may control the operation of the valves 101-102,103-104 (FIG. 1A), 106 (FIG. 1B), the auxiliary heating element(s) 155,the Peltier device 140, and/or the fan 180. For example, as describedfurther below, the controller 150 may send signals to turn theses deviceon/off (or open/close) during different cycles of the modular waterpurification device 100.

The controller 150 may send and/or receive signals from one or moreexternal electronic devices through the cascade signal feed 136 and theconnector 198. The controller 150 may send to and/or receive signalsfrom the valves 101-102, 103-104 (FIG. 1A), 106 (FIG. 1B), the feedwater level sensor(s) 121, the humidity sensor(s) 122, the temperaturesensor(s) 123, the Peltier device 140, the auxiliary heating element(s)155, the fan 180, the pressure sensors (not shown), the flow metersensors (not shown), etc. The controller 150 may send and receive thesignals through the local control signal feed 195.

FIG. 7 is a state diagram 700 for a modular water purification device,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. With referenceto FIG. 7, from a halt state 701, the modular water purification device100 (FIGS. 1A-1B) may go through an initialization state 705. After theinitialization state 705, the modular water purification device 100 maygo to the fill state 710, followed by the purification state 715,followed by the wash state 720. The modular water purification device100 may repeatedly go through the fill 710, purification 715, and wash720 states.

In some of the present embodiments, several modular water purificationdevices 100 may be connected to each other to form a cascade. Thecascade, as described below with reference to FIG. 8, may include one ormore rows. In some of the present embodiments, a cascade (or each row ofa cascade) may include a controller that may receive measurements ofdifferent parameters (e.g., feed water level, feed water temperature,hot water vapor chamber temperature, etc.) of the modular waterpurification devices in the cascade (or a row of the cascade) and maydetermine the start of the end of each cycle 710-715 for the modularwater purification devices.

With reference to FIG. 7, the state diagram 700 may be controlled by thecontroller 150 in each modular water purification device 100, by the rowcontroller for all modular water purification devices in a cascade row,and/or by the cascade controller for all modular water purificationdevices in the cascade. In the halt state 701, the modular waterpurification device of some embodiments may turn off power to one ormore components such as the Peltier device 140, the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155, the fan 180, etc. In some embodiments, the valves101-104 and 106 may be kept closed.

From the halt state 701, the modular water purification device 100 mayreceive a start initialization signal 721 (e.g., from the rowcontroller, the cascade controller, or after the power is applied to thedevice) and may perform one or more initialization operations asdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 10A-10B. After initialization,the modular water purification device 100 may receive a start fill cycle722 signal (e.g., from the row controller or the cascade controller) togo to the fill state 710 to perform a fill cycle 710 and bring feedwater into the device. From the fill state 710, the modular waterpurification device 100 may receive a start purification cycle signal723 (e.g., from the row controller or the cascade controller) to go tothe purification state purify water.

From the purification state 715, the modular water purification device100 may receive a start wash cycle signal 724 (e.g., from the rowcontroller or the cascade controller) to go to the wash state 720 towash salt and other sediments from the device. From the wash state 720,the modular water purification device 100 may receive a start fill cyclesignal 725 (e.g., from the row controller or the cascade controller) togo back to the fill state 710. From any of the initialization 705, fill710, purification 715, and wash 720 states, the modular waterpurification device 100 may receive a halt signal 780 and return to thehalt state 701. From any of the initialization 705, fill 710,purification 715, and wash 720 states, the modular water purificationdevice 100 may receive a pause signal 785 and may maintain the currentstate until another signal to change the state is received.

It should be noted that as long as a halt 780 signal or a pause signal785 is not received, the modular water purification device 100 maycontinuously go through the fill cycle (e.g., when the modular waterpurification device 100 is in the fill state 710), followed by the waterpurification cycle (e.g., when the modular water purification device 100is in the purification state 715), followed by the wash cycle (e.g.,when the modular water purification device 100 is in the wash state720), followed by the next fill cycle, water purification cycle, washcycle, etc.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices that includes one or morerows of modular water purification devices, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. With reference to FIG. 8, the cascade 800 mayinclude one or more rows 801-803. Each row may include one or moremodular water purification devices 100.

Each row 801-803 of the cascade 800 may have a corresponding controller811-813. The controllers 811-813, in some embodiments, may communicatewith each other through wired or wireless connections (not shown). Thecontrollers 811-813 may receive measurements of different parameters(e.g., feed water level, feed water temperature, hot water vapor chambertemperature, pressure, etc.) and/or status data from the controllers 150in the corresponding row. The controllers 811-813 may determine thestart of the end of each cycle 710-715 (FIG. 7) for the modular waterpurification devices.

The controllers 811-813 may be (or may include) a processing unit suchas a processor or microprocessor. The controllers 811-813 may include(or may be associated with) volatile memory and non-volatile storage.The controllers may send one or more signals to the controllers 150 inthe corresponding rows to start or end each cycle.

Although the row controllers 811 are shown as external to the modularwater purification devices 100, in some embodiments, one of thecontrollers 150 in each row may be configured to operate as the rowcontroller. Some embodiment may only include one controller (e.g., thecontroller 811) for controlling every row of the cascade 800. In theseembodiments, the cascade controller 811 may be connected to the cascadesignal feed 136 of every row 801-803. In some embodiments, one of thecontrollers 150 may be configured to operate as the controller for everyrow of the cascade 800.

FIGS. 9A-9B are a flowchart illustrating an example process 900 forpurifying water by a cascade of modular water purification devices,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some of thepresent embodiments, the process 900 may be performed by a controller811-813 of FIG. 8 (or by a controller 150 of a modular waterpurification device 100 that is configured to operate as a cascade or arow controller).

With reference to FIGS. 9A-9B, the process 900 may send (at block 905)the position of each modular water purification device in the row (orcascade) to the corresponding device. In some of the presentembodiments, each modular water purification device 100 may have aunique identification code that may be assigned to the device either atthe manufacture time or at the deployment time. The uniqueidentification code of each device 100 may be stored in non-volatilestorage on the device.

The position of each device 100 in a row 801-803 may be stored (e.g., atthe deployment time of the cascade 800) in non-volatile storageaccessible to the controllers 811-813 of the rows 801-803 (or thecontroller of the cascade 800). The controller of each row 801-803 (orthe controller of the cascade 800) may send (at block 905) the positionof each device 100 in a row 801-803 of the cascade to the correspondingdevice 100. The controller 150 of each device may, therefore, mayreceive the information whether the corresponding device is the firstdevice in a row, the last device in the row, or a device in a positionother than the first or last device the row.

With further reference to FIGS. 9A-9B, the process 900 may send (atblock 910) one or more signals to each modular water purification device100 to perform initialization. The process 1000 (FIGS. 10A and 10B)describes the operations performed by each modular water purificationdevice 100 in response to the signals received from the process 900.

The process 900 may then receive (at block 915) status (e.g., whether ornot the initialization is completed) from each modular waterpurification device 100 in the row (or the cascade). The process 900 maythen determine (at block 920) whether the initialization is completed bythe modular water purification device 100 in the row (or the cascade).When the process 900 determines (at block 920) that the initializationis not completed, the process 900 may return to block 915, which wasdescribed above.

Otherwise, the process 900 may send (at block 925) one or more signalsto each modular water purification device in the row (or cascade) to goto the fill state and start the fill cycle. During the fill cycle, thefeed water reservoir 120 (FIGS. 1A-1B) of modular water purificationdevices 100 may be filled by the feed water.

With reference to FIGS. 9A-9B, the process 900 may receive (at block930) metrics including the level of the feed water and/or the level ofthe purified water from the modular water purification device in the row(or cascade). For example, the process 900 may receive the feed waterlevel from the sensor(s) 41 of FIGS. 1A-1B.

The process 900 may determine (at block 935) whether the feed water hasreached a first threshold level in the feed water reservoirs and/or athreshold amount of time has passed since the start of the fill cycle.Some of the present embodiments may turn on the power to the modularwater purification devices' Peltier device 140 (FIGS. 1A-1B) and theauxiliary heating element(s) 155 prior to the completion of the fillcycle in order to heat the Peltier device 140 and the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155. Some embodiments may turn on the power to the fan 180prior to the completion of the fill cycle in order to avoid anyturbulence in the water vapor channel 116.

With reference to FIGS. 9A-9B, when the process 900 determines (at block935) that the feed water has not reached the first threshold level inthe feed water reservoirs, the process 900 may proceed to block 930,which was described above. Otherwise, the process 900 may send (at block940) one or more signals to each modular water purification device inthe row (or cascade) to turn on the power to the modular waterpurification devices' Peltier device 140, the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155, and the fan 180. In some embodiments, a first thresholdlevel of the feed water in the feed water reservoir 120 may be used toturn on the power to the Peltier device 140, the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155, and the fan 180 and a second (and higher) thresholdlevel of the feed water in the feed water reservoir 120 may be used toclose the feed input and output valves to start the water purificationcycle.

In some embodiments, instead of the first threshold level, a timeoutsince the start of the fill cycle may be used (e.g., when the metricsreceived in block 935 includes the flow of the feed water into the feedwater reservoir 120) to turn on the power to the Peltier device 140, theauxiliary heating element(s) 155, and the fan 180.

With continued reference to FIGS. 9A-9B, the process 900 may thenreceive (at block 945) metrics including the level of the feed waterfrom the modular water purification device in the row (or cascade). Theprocess 900 may then determine (at block 950) whether the feed water hasreached a second threshold level in the feed water reservoirs. When theprocess 900 determines (at block 950) that the feed water has notreached the second threshold level in the feed water reservoirs, theprocess 900 may proceed to block 945, which was described above.Otherwise, the process 900 may send (at block 955) one or more signalsto each modular water purification device in the row (or cascade) to goto the water purification state and start the water purification cycle.

The process 900 may then receive (at block 960) the level of the feedwater from the modular water purification device in the row (orcascade). As the feed water is evaporated from the feed water reservoir120, the level of feed water in the feed reservoir 120 may drop. Thelevel of feed water in the feed reservoir 120 may, therefore, be used asan indication that not much feed water is left in the feed waterreservoir 120 and the water purification cycle may be ended.

The process 900 may then determine (at block 965) whether the feed waterhas reached below a threshold level, or a threshold amount of timepassed since the beginning of the purification cycle. When the process900 determines (at block 965) that the feed water has not reached belowa threshold level or a threshold amount of time has not passed since thebeginning of the purification cycle, the process 900 may proceed toblock 960, which was described above.

Otherwise, the process 900 may send (at block 970) one or more signalsto each modular water purification device in the row (or cascade) to goto the wash state and start the wash cycle. During the wash cycle thefeed water is passed through the cascade in order to wash the saltand/or other sediments that are accumulated on the auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155 (or on the hot side 143 of the Peltier device 140 if thedevice does not include an auxiliary heating element(s) 155).

The process 900 may then receive (at block 975) the purification cycle'smetrics (e.g., the amount of purified water collected during thepurification cycle, amount of feed water flowed through teach device,etc.). The process 900 may then determine (at block 980) whether athreshold amount of time has passed since the beginning of the washcycle and/or a threshold amount of feed water flowed through the cascadeduring the wash cycle.

When the process 900 determines (at block 980) that a threshold amountof time has not passed since the beginning of the wash cycle and/or athreshold amount of feed water has not flowed through the cascade duringthe wash cycle, the process 900 may proceed to block 975, which wasdescribed above. Otherwise, the process 900 may proceed to block 925 tostart a new fill cycle.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a flowchart illustrating an example process 1000for purifying water by a modular water purification device, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. In some of the presentembodiments, the process 1000 may be performed by the controller 150(FIGS. 1A-1B). The process 1000, in some embodiments, may communicatewith the process 900. For example, the process 1000 may receive signalsfrom the process 900 to start different cycles. The process 1000 maysend status data and metrics to the process 900.

With reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the process 1000 may receive (atblock 1005) the position of the module water purification device in arow of the water purification cascade. For example, the controller 150(FIG. 8) of a modular water purification device 100 in cascade 800 mayreceive the position of the device 100 in a row 811-803 of the cascade800. For example, the controller 150 may receive information whether ornot the device 100 is the first or the last device in a row.

The process 1000 may turn off (at block 1010) the power to the waterpurification device's Peltier device, the auxiliary heating element(s),and the fan in response to receiving one or more signals to performinitialization. For example, the controller 150 (FIGS. 1A-1B) may turnoff the power to the water purification device's Peltier device 140, theauxiliary heating element(s) 155, and the fan 180 in response to theprocess 900 (FIG. 9) sending the initialization signal(s) at block 910.

With further reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the process 1000 maydetermine (at block 1015) whether the modular water purification deviceis the first device in the row. In the embodiments that transfer thepurified water through the cascade (e.g., the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and2), when the process 1000 determines (at block 1015) that the modularwater purification device is the first device in the row (e.g., based onthe information received at block 1005), the process 1000 may close (atblock 1020) the purified water input valve 103 and may open (at block1020) the purified water output valve 104. In the embodiments thattransfer the purified water from each modular water purification deviceto one or more external reservoirs (e.g., the embodiment of FIGS. 1B and3), when the process 1000 determines (at block 1015) that the modularwater purification device is the first device in the row (e.g., based onthe information received at block 1005), the process 1000 may open (atblock 1020) the purified water output valve 106. The process 1000 maythen proceed to block 1030, which is described below.

In the embodiments that transfer the purified water through the cascade(e.g., the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 2), when the process 1000determines (at block 1015) that the modular water purification device isnot the first device in the row (e.g., based on the information receivedat block 1005), the process 1000 may open (at block 1025) the purifiedwater input valve 103 and the purified output valve 104. In theembodiments that transfer the purified water from each modular waterpurification device to one or more external reservoirs (e.g., theembodiment of FIGS. 1B and 3), when the process 1000 determines (atblock 1015) that the modular water purification device is not the firstdevice in the row (e.g., based on the information received at block1005), the process 1000 may open the purified water output valve 106.

The process 1000 may then determine (at block 1030) whether one or moresignals are received (e.g., from block 925 of the process 900) to go tothe fill state and start the fill cycle. When the process 1000determines (at block 1030) that one or more signals are not received tostart the fill cycle, the process 1000 may proceed to block 1030, whichwas described above. Otherwise, the process 1000 may determine (at block1035) whether the modular water purification device is the last devicein the row.

When the process 1000 determines (at block 1035) that the modular waterpurification device is the last device in the row (e.g., based on theinformation received at block 1005), the process 1000 may open (at block1040) the feed water input valve 101 (FIGS. 1A-1B) and may close (atblock 1040) the feed water output valve 102 to start the fill cycle byletting the feed water into the feed water reservoir 120. The process1000 may then proceed to block 1050, which is described below. When theprocess 1000 determines (at block 1035) that the modular waterpurification device is not the last device in the row (e.g., based onthe information received at block 1005), the process 1000 may open (atblock 1045) the feed water input valve 101 (FIGS. 1A-1B) and may open(at block 1045) the feed water output valve 102 to start the fill cycleby letting the feed water into the feed water reservoir 120 and byletting the feed water to be transferred to the next modular waterpurification device in the row.

The process 1000 may then send (at block 1050) performance metrics,including the level of the feed water to the row (or cascade)controller. As described above with reference to block 935 (FIG. 9A),the process 900 may use the level of the feed water to determine whetherthe power to the Peltier device, the auxiliary heating element(s), andthe fan may be turned on.

With further reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the process 1000 maydetermine (at block 1055) whether one or more signals are received toturn on the power to the Peltier device, the auxiliary heatingelement(s), and the fan. For example, the process 1000 may receive theone or more signals to turn on the power to the Peltier device when thefeed water reaches a first threshold in the feed water reservoir and/ora threshold amount of time is passed since the start of the fill cycle.

When the process 1000 determines (at block 1055) that one or moresignals are received to turn on the power to the Peltier device, theauxiliary heating element(s), and the fan are not received, the process1000 may proceed to block 1050, which was described above. Otherwise,the process 1000 may turn on (at block 1060) the power to the Peltierdevice 140 (FIGS. 1A-1B), the auxiliary heating element(s) 155, and thefan 180.

The process 1000 may then send (at block 1065) performance metrics,including the level of the feed water to the row (or cascade)controller. As described above with reference to block 950 (FIG. 9B),the process 900 may use the level of the feed water to determine whetherthe water purification cycle may be started.

With further reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the process 1000 maydetermine (at block 1070) whether one or more signals are received to goto the water purification state and start the water purification cycle.If not, the process 1000 may proceed to block 1065, which was describedabove. Otherwise, the process 1000 may close (at block 1080) the feedwater input and output valves to start the purification cycle. Forexample, the controller 150 may close the valves 101 and 102 (FIGS.1A-1B) to start the purification cycle.

The process 1000 may then determine (at block 1085) the purificationcycle's metrics (e.g., the amount of purified water collected during thepurification cycle, amount of feed water flowed through teach device,etc.) and may send the metrics to the row (or cascade) controller. Theprocess 1000 may then determine (at block 1090) whether one or moresignals are received to go to the wash state and start the wash cycle.If not, the process 1000 may proceed to block 1085, which was describedabove. Otherwise, the process 1000 may turn off (at block 1092) thepower to the modular water purification devices' Peltier device,auxiliary heating element(s), and fan.

The process 1000 may open (at block 1095) the feed water input valve 101and the feed water output valve 102 to wash the salt and/or othersediments from the bottom of the feed water reservoir. The process 1000may determine (at block 1097) the purification cycle's metrics (e.g.,the amount of feed water passed through the device, etc.) and may sendthe metrics to the row (or cascade) controller.

The process 1000 may then determine (at block 1098) whether one or moresignals are received to go to the fill state and start the fill cycle.If not, the process 1000 may proceed to block 1097, which was describedabove. Otherwise, the process 1000 may proceed to block 1035, which wasdescribed above to start a new fill cycle.

In some of the present embodiments, the controller 150 in each modularwater purification device 100 may send status data and performancemetrics to one or more external electronic devices and/or may receivesignals from one or more external electronic devices. FIG. 11 is afunctional block diagram of one example embodiment of a cascade ofmodular water purification devices with one or more control andmonitoring servers and a robot for replacing Peltier devices, accordingto various aspects of the present disclosure. For simplicity only onerow 801 of the cascade 800 is shown. It should be understood that thecascade 800 of FIG. 11 may include several rows of modular waterpurification devices similar to rows 801-803 of the cascade 800 of FIG.8.

The cascade of FIG. 11 may include one or more rows of modular waterpurification devices 100. For simplicity, only one row of modular waterpurification devices 100 is shown in FIG. 11. With reference to FIG. 11,the controllers 150 may communicate data and status with the rowcontroller 811 through the cascade signal feed 136. The row controller811 may communicate wirelessly with one or more control and monitoringservers 1160 through one or more networks 1170. In some embodiments, therow controller 811 may include one or more antennas 1120 and theserver(s) 1160 may include one or more antennas 1110 and may wirelesslycommunicate with each other (e.g., through one or more networks 1170).In some embodiments, the row controller 811 and the server(s) 1160 maycommunicate through a wired link.

The server(s) 1160 may generate reports, may provide one or more userinterfaces to display the status and the performance metrics of thecascade 801. Each controller 150 may receive health, performance, and/orstatus information from different components of the correspondingmodular water purification device 100. For example, the controller 150may receive health, performance, and/or status information from thevalves 101-104 and 106 (FIGS. 1A-1B, 2, and 3), the water level sensors121 and 305, the humidity sensors 122, the temperature sensors 123, thePeltier device 140, the auxiliary heating element(s) 155, and the fan180.

The controller 150 may send the health, performance, and/or statusinformation to the row controller 811 through the cascade signal feed136. The row controller 811 may send the health, performance, and/orstatus information to the server(s) 1160 through the wired and/orwireless links.

The controller 150, in some embodiments, may determine the health statusof the Peltier device when the Peltier device is turned on. Thecontroller 150, in some embodiments, may compare the current drawn bythe Peltier device with a current range and may determine that thePeltier device has failed if the current drawn by the Peltier device isoutside the range. The current range may depend on the size of thePeltier device. The controller 150, for example and without limitation,may receive the current range at the initialization state, at theconfiguration time of the modular water purification device, etc., andmay store the current range in non-volatile memory inside the modularwater purification device.

The controller 150, in some embodiments, may determine the health statusof the Peltier device by comparing the temperature of the cold side ofthe Peltier device with a threshold temperature a threshold time periodafter the Peltier device is turned on. If the temperature of the coldside of the Peltier device is not lower than the threshold temperaturewithin the threshold time period, the controller 150 may determine thatthe Peltier device has failed.

As described above, in some embodiments, the modular water purificationdevice 100 may be configured such that other components of the modularwater purification device 100, such as the auxiliary heating element(s)155 may also be connected to the removable portion of the frame. Inthese embodiments, the controller 150 may determine the health status ofthe heating element, for example, by receiving temperature measurementsfrom one or more temperature sensors (not shown) that may be connectedto, or be in a vicinity of, the auxiliary heating element(s) 155. Thecontroller 150 may determine that the auxiliary heating element(s) havefailed when the temperature of the auxiliary heating element(s) 155 donot reach a threshold temperature a predetermined time after power isapplied to the auxiliary heating element(s) 155.

When the Peltier device 120 (or the auxiliary heating element(s) 155) ina modular water purification device 100 fails, the controller 150, therow controller 811, and/or the server(s) 1160 may send a signal to arobot 1150 to replace the failed Peltier device 140. The robot 1150 mayinclude one or more antennas 1115 and may wirelessly communicate withcontroller 150, the row controller 811, and/or the server(s) 1160 (e.g.,through the network(s) 1170). The robot 1150 may communicate with therow controller 811 and/or the server(s) 1160 through a wired link.

As described with reference to FIGS. 6A-6B, the Peltier device 140 maybe connected to a removable portion of the frame 105, which may beconnected to a gripping element 605 for the easy removal and insertionof the Peltier device into the frame 105. In some of the presentembodiments, the removable portion of the frame (e.g., the portion onside 503 that is directly under the insulator 185) may be used by therobot 1150 to remove the Peltier device and the detachable portion ofthe frame and insert another Peltier device that is connected to agripping element and a similar detachable portion of the frame.

The robot 1150 may include a remotely controlled griping element (notshown) that may be used to grab the gripping element 605 (FIGS. 6A-6D)of the removable portion of the frame 105 of the water purificationdevice 100. For example, in the embodiments that the gripping element605 of the water purification device 100 is a handle, a hook, or a bar,the robot's gripping element may be an actuator that includes a jaw thatmay be opened or closed in response to signals received by the robot toopen or close the jaw, respectively. The jaw may be opened to grab thegripping element 605 of the removable portion of the water purificationdevice 100. The jaw may be closed to keep hold of the gripping element605 of the removable portion of the water purification device 100. Theactuator of the robot may include an arm attached to the jaw. After thejaw grabs the gripping element 605 of the water purification device 100,the robot may receive one or more signals to move the arm away from theframe 105 and remove the removable portion of the frame 105 after thejaw grabs the gripping element 605.

As another example, in the embodiments that the gripping element 605 ofthe water purification device 100 is a magnet, the robot's grippingelement may also be (or may include) a magnet may be attached to themagnet of the water purification device 100. The robot may then removethe removable portion of the water purification device 100 by moving thearm away from the water purification device 100 in response to receivingone or more signals to move the arm.

Some embodiments may include a grid of rails 1105 in front of each rowof the cascade 800. The location of each modular water purificationdevice 100 in the cascade may be known by the cascade row and/or by theserver(s) 1160. The location of each modular water purification device100, in some embodiments, may be the coordinates of the modular waterpurification device 100 within the rail grid of the cascade 800. For acascade that may include several rows and each row may include severalmodular water purification devices 100, the coordinates of each modularwater purification device 100 may include the cascade row 801-803 (FIG.8) where the modular water purification device 100 is located and theposition of the modular water purification device 100 in thecorresponding cascade.

The coordinates of a modular water purification device 100 within thecascade may be known by the control and monitoring server(s) 1160, bythe corresponding cascade row controller 811, and/or by thecorresponding controller 150 of the modular water purification device100. In some embodiments, each modular water purification device 100 mayhave a unique identification, which may be used by the control andmonitoring server(s) 1160, by the corresponding cascade row controller811, and/or by the corresponding controller 150 to map theidentification to the exact location of the modular water purificationdevice 100 within the rail grid.

In some embodiments, the rails 1105 that are in front of each cascaderow may be connected to each other and one robot 1150 may move over therails 1105. In other embodiments, each cascade row may include aseparate robot that move in front of the corresponding rail 1105 of thecascade row. In either embodiment, the robot 1150 may be moved over therail 1150 to the exact location where a modular water purificationdevice 100 is located.

When a controller 150 of a modular water purification device 100determines that the corresponding Peltier device 140 and/or thecorresponding auxiliary heating element(s) 155 have failed, thecontroller 150 may send a health status to the corresponding cascade rowcontroller 811. The health status may include the identification of themodular water purification device 100 from which the location of themodular water purification device 100 on the rail 1105 may beidentified.

The cascade row controller 811 may send the health status to theserver(s) 1160. In some embodiments, the server(s) 1160 may send one ormore signals to the cascade row controller 800 to replace the failedPeltier device 140 and/or the failed auxiliary heating element(s) 155.In other embodiments, the cascade row controller 811 may determine thatthe failed Peltier device 140 and/or the failed auxiliary heatingelement(s) 155 has to be replaced after receiving the health status fromthe controller 150 that has detected the failure.

The row controller 811 may then send one or more signals to the robot1150 to move in front of the removable portion of the modular waterpurification device 100 that has reported the failure. For example, therobot 1150 may move over the rail 1105 to the coordinates of the modularwater purification device 100 within the rail grid. The robot, in someembodiments, may include one or more rolling elements such as, forexample, and without limitations, one or more wheels, one or more ballbearings, one or more cylinders that may rotate around a shaft, etc.,that may move the robot along the rail 1105.

As described above, the robot 1150 may include a gripping element (notshown) such as an actuator or a magnet. The row controller 811 may sendone or more signals to the robot to attach the gripping element of therobot to the gripping element 605 (FIGS. 6A-6D) of the removable portionof the water purification device. The row controller 811 may send one ormore signals to the robot to pull out the removable portion by movingthe actuator of the robot away from the water purification device.

The robot 1150 may have access to one or more functional Peltier devices1190. Each functional Peltier device 1190 may be attached to acorresponding removable portion of a frame 105 that may include agrabbing element 605 (FIGS. 6A-6D). The row controller 811 may send oneor more signals to the robot to grab the gripping element of one of thefunctional Peltier devices 1190. The row controller 811 may send one ormore signals to the robot to move the robot's actuator towards the waterpurification device to insert the functional Peltier device 190, and theattached removable portion of the frame, into the frame of the modularwater purification device. In addition to, or in lieu of the cascade rowcontroller 81, the server(s) 1160 may send the above-mentioned signalsto the robot to move over the rail 1105 in front of the modular waterpurification device 100 that has reported a failure in the correspondingPeltier device and/or a failure in the auxiliary heating elements(155),remove the removable portion of the frame and the attached faultyPeltier device, and replace them with a functional Peltier device and acorresponding removable portion of the frame.

The water purification cascade in different embodiments may receivepower from different sources. FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of oneexample embodiment of a cascade of modular water purification devicesthat receives electricity from solar panels associated with one or moreof the modular water purification devices, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure.

As described with reference to FIGS. 6A-6B, the modular waterpurification device 100 may include one or more solar panels 610. Thesolar panels 610 may generate power and may provide power to thecascade's power feed 130 through a power feed 1210. A portion of thegenerated power may be stored (e.g., in one or more capacitors) for usewhen solar or ambient lights are not available.

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices that receives electricityfrom one or more solar panels, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure. With reference to FIG. 13, the cascade may include aset of solar panels 1305 that are separate from the modular waterpurification devices 100. The solar panels 1305 may generate power andmay provide power to the cascade's power feed 130 through a power feed1310. A portion of the generated power may be stored (e.g., in one ormore capacitors) for use when solar or ambient lights are not available.

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices and different sources ofenergy that may be used by the cascade, according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure. With reference to FIG. 14, the power generator1405 may generate power from one or more sources of energy such as,without limitation, thermal, wind, marine, hydroelectric, osmosis,biomass, etc. The power generated by the power generator 1405 may beconnected to the cascade power feed 130 through a power feed 1410.

FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment of acascade of modular water purification devices that receives energy froma utility power line, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. With reference to FIG. 15, the utility power line 1510 maycome from a municipal or industrial utility power line. The cascades inFIGS. 12-13 may use any of the power source described with reference toFIGS. 14-15 in addition to using the power generated by the solarpanels.

As described above with reference to FIG. 8, a cascade 800 may includeone or more rows 801-803 and each row may include one or more modularwater purification devices 100. In the embodiments that have one rowwith one modular water purification device, the single modular waterpurification device may be used as a standalone water purificationdevice.

FIG. 16 is a front elevational view of one example embodiment a singlemodular water purification device used as a standalone waterpurification device, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure. With reference to FIG. 16, the water purification device1600 may include only one modular water purification device 100. Thewater purification device 1600 may be used as a portable device or maybe anchored, for example, to a platform.

Similar to the modular water purification devices described above, themodular water purification device 100 of FIG. 16 go through the states701, 705, 710, 715, and 720, as described above with reference to FIG.7. For example, the modular water purification device 100 of FIG. 16 mayrepeatedly go through a fill cycle, followed by a water purificationcycle, followed by a wash cycle. During the fill cycle, the feed waterreservoir 120 may be filled with feed water. During the waterpurification cycle, the feed water may be vaporized and condensed intopurified water. The purified water may be transferred out of the waterpurification device 1600.

The valve 101 may bring feed water through the feed water input pipe (orchannel) 131. Examples of the feed water include, without anylimitations, tap water that may require purification, salt water fromthe oceans, salt water from lakes, brackish water from estuaries andaquifers, brine from the Earth's surface and crust, fresh water fromrivers, lakes, well, etc.

The purified water that is collected at the bottom of the frame 105 maybe transferred out of the water purification device 1600 through thevalve 106 and the purified water output channel 135. Some embodimentsmay include a mineral mixer 1605 on the purified water output 135 to addminerals to the purified water. The mineral mixer 1605 may be, forexample, and without limitations, a remineralization filter. The mineralmixer 1605 may add different mineral, such as, for example, and withoutlimitations, compound of calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc.

In addition to, or in lieu of, the valve 106, some embodiments mayinclude another valve 1601 after the mineral mixer 1605. Although onlyone valve 106 and one purified water output channel 135 are shown inFIG. 16, the water purification device 1600, in some embodiments, mayhave several purified water output channels and the corresponding valvesfor transferring the purified water out of the device.

With further reference to FIG. 16, the valve 1632 may take the feedwater out of the water purification device 1600 during the wash cycle.The water purification device 1600 may receive power from a power feed1630. Similar to the embodiments described above, the modular waterpurification device 100 of FIG. 16 may receive power from one or moresources such as, for example, and without limitations, a utility powerline coming from a municipal or industrial utility power line (e.g., asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 15), one or more solar panelsassociated with one or more of the modular water purification devices(e.g., as described above with reference to FIGS. 6C-6F and 12), fromone or more solar panels that are separate from the modular waterpurification devices 100 (e.g., as described above with reference toFIG. 13), from one or more sources of energy such as, withoutlimitation, thermal, wind, marine, hydroelectric, osmosis, biomass, etc.(e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 14).

In some embodiments, the controller 150 may receive the power feed 1630and may distribute the power to other components of the modular waterpurification device 100 through the local power feed 190. In someembodiments, the controller 150 may receive the signal feed 1636 and maysend control signals to other components of the modular waterpurification device 100 through the local control signal feed 195.

The modular water purification device 100 may include a flow meter 127(e.g., inside the purified water output channel 135 or integrated withone of the valves 106 or 1601) and/or arrays of light detectors andLEDs, as described above with reference to FIG. 1B, for measuring theflow and/or the level 125 of the purified water. Other components of themodular water purification device 100 of FIG. 16 may be similar to thecorresponding components of the water purification device 100 of FIGS.1A and 1B.

Some of the above-described features and applications may be implementedas software processes that are specified as a set of instructionsrecorded on a computer readable storage medium (also referred to ascomputer readable medium). When these instructions are executed by oneor more processing unit(s) (e.g., one or more processors, cores ofprocessors, or other processing units), they cause the processingunit(s) to perform the actions indicated in the instructions. Examplesof computer readable media include, but are not limited to, CD-ROMs,flash drives, RAM chips, hard drives, EPROMs, etc. The computer readablemedia does not include carrier waves and electronic signals passingwirelessly or over wired connections.

In this specification, the term “software” is meant to include firmwareresiding in read-only memory or applications stored in magnetic storage,which may be read into memory for processing by a processor. Also, insome embodiments, multiple software inventions may be implemented assub-parts of a larger program while remaining distinct softwareinventions. In some embodiments, multiple software inventions may alsobe implemented as separate programs. Finally, any combination ofseparate programs that together implement a software invention describedhere is within the scope of the invention. In some embodiments, thesoftware programs, when installed to operate on one or more electronicsystems, define one or more specific machine implementations thatexecute and perform the operations of the software programs.

FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram of one example embodiment of anelectronic system 1800 with which some embodiments of the invention(e.g., the controllers, the processing units, the robots, the servers,etc.) are implemented. The electronic system 1800 may be used to executeany of the control, virtualization, and/or operating system applicationsdescribed above. The electronic system 1800 may be a computer (e.g.,desktop computer, personal computer, tablet computer, server computer,mainframe, blade computer etc.), a controller, a microcontroller, or anyother sort of electronic device. Such an electronic system includesvarious types of computer readable media and interfaces for variousother types of computer readable media. Electronic system 1800 includesa bus 1805, processing unit(s) 1810, a system memory 1820, a read-onlymemory (ROM) 1830, a permanent storage device 1835, input devices 1840,and output devices 1845.

The bus 1805 may collectively represent all system, peripheral, andchipset buses that communicatively connect the numerous internal devicesof the electronic system 1800. For example, the bus 1805 maycommunicatively connect the processing unit(s) 1810 with the read-onlymemory 1830, the system memory 1820, and the permanent storage device1835.

From these various memory units, the processing unit(s) 1810 mayretrieve instructions to execute and data to process in order to executethe processes of the invention. The processing unit(s) may be a singleprocessor or a multi-core processor in different embodiments.

The read-only-memory 1830 may store static data and instructions thatare needed by the processing unit(s) 1810 and other modules of theelectronic system. The permanent storage device 1835, on the other hand,may be a read-and-write memory device. This device is a non-volatilememory unit that stores instructions and data even when the electronicsystem 1800 is off. Some embodiments of the invention use a mass-storagedevice (such as a magnetic or optical disk and its corresponding diskdrive) as the permanent storage device 1835.

Other embodiments may use a removable storage device (such as a flashdrive, etc.) as the permanent storage device. Like the permanent storagedevice 1835, the system memory 1820 may be a read-and-write memorydevice. However, unlike storage device 1835, the system memory may be avolatile read-and-write memory, such as random access memory. The systemmemory may store some of the instructions and data that the processorneeds at runtime. In some embodiments, the invention's processes may bestored in the system memory 1820, the permanent storage device 1835,and/or the read-only memory 1830. From these various memory units, theprocessing unit(s) 1810 may retrieve instructions to execute and data toprocess in order to execute the processes of some embodiments.

The bus 1805 may also connect to the input and output devices 1840 and1845. The input devices may enable the user to communicate informationand select commands to the electronic system. The input devices 1840 mayinclude alphanumeric keyboards and pointing devices (also called “cursorcontrol devices”). The output devices 1845 may display images generatedby the electronic system. The output devices may include printers anddisplay devices, such as cathode ray tubes (CRT) or liquid crystaldisplays (LCD). Some embodiments may include devices, such as atouchscreen, that function as both input and output devices.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 18, bus 1805 also couples electronic system1800 to a network 1825 through a network adapter (not shown). In thismanner, the computer may be a part of a network of computers (such as alocal area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), an Intranet, ora network of networks, such as the Internet. Any or all components ofthe electronic system 1800 may be used in conjunction with theinvention.

Some embodiments may include electronic components, such asmicroprocessors, storage, and memory, that store computer programinstructions in a machine-readable or computer-readable medium(alternatively referred to as computer-readable storage media,machine-readable media, or machine-readable storage media). Someexamples of such computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, read-onlycompact discs (CD-ROM), recordable compact discs (CD-R), rewritablecompact discs (CD-RW), read-only digital versatile discs (e.g., DVD-ROM,dual-layer DVD-ROM), a variety of recordable/rewritable DVDs (e.g.,DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, etc.), flash memory (e.g., SD cards, mini-SDcards, micro-SD cards, etc.), magnetic and/or solid state hard drives,read-only and recordable Blu-Ray® discs, ultra density optical discs,any other optical or magnetic media, and floppy disks. Thecomputer-readable media may store a computer program that is executableby at least one processing unit and includes sets of instructions forperforming various operations. Examples of computer programs or computercode include machine code, such as is produced by a compiler, and filesincluding higher-level code that are executed by a computer, anelectronic component, or a microprocessor using an interpreter.

While the above discussion primarily refers to microprocessor ormulti-core processors that execute software, some embodiments may beperformed by one or more integrated circuits, such as applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs). In some embodiments, such integrated circuits executeinstructions that are stored on the circuit itself. Some of the presentembodiments may include flexible circuit, also referred to as flexibleprinted circuit boards (PCBs). The flexible circuits may provide dynamicflexing and increased heat dissipation and may be used in theembodiments that require circuits with smaller footprint, increasedpackage density, more tolerance to vibrations, and/or less weight.

As used in this specification, the terms “computer”, “server”,“processor”, and “memory” all refer to electronic or other technologicaldevices. These terms exclude people or groups of people. For thepurposes of the specification, the terms display or displaying meansdisplaying on an electronic device. As used in this specification, theterms “computer readable medium,” “computer readable media,” and“machine readable medium” are entirely restricted to tangible, physicalobjects that store information in a form that is readable by a computer.These terms exclude any wireless signals, wired download signals, andany other ephemeral or transitory signals.

While the invention has been described with reference to numerousspecific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatthe invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. In addition, a number of the figures(including FIGS. 9A, 9B, 10A, and 10B) conceptually illustrateprocesses. The specific operations of these processes may not beperformed in the exact order shown and described. The specificoperations may not be performed in one continuous series of operations,and different specific operations may be performed in differentembodiments. Furthermore, the process could be implemented using severalsub-processes, or as part of a larger macro process.

The above description presents the best mode contemplated for carryingout the present embodiments, and of the manner and process of practicingthem, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable anyperson skilled in the art to which they pertain to practice theseembodiments. The present embodiments are, however, susceptible tomodifications and alternate constructions from those discussed abovethat are fully equivalent. Consequently, the present invention is notlimited to the particular embodiments disclosed. On the contrary, thepresent invention covers all modifications and alternate constructionscoming within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Forexample, the steps in the processes described herein need not beperformed in the same order as they have been presented and may beperformed in any order(s). Further, steps that have been presented asbeing performed separately may in alternative embodiments be performedconcurrently. Likewise, steps that have been presented as beingperformed concurrently may in alternative embodiments be performedseparately.

What is claimed is:
 1. A water purification device, comprising: a feedwater reservoir configured to store feed water; a water vapor chamberconfigured to receive water vapor generated from heating the feed waterin the pre-purified water reservoir; a condensation chamber configuredto receive the water vapor and condense the water vapor into purifiedwater; a Peltier device comprising a hot side and a cold side, whereinthe hot side is configured to heat the feed water into water vapor andthe cold side is configured to condensate the water vapor into purifiedwater; a set of one or more temperature sensors configured to measure atemperature of the feed water inside the feed water reservoir; a set ofone or more heating elements configured to heat the pre-purified waterinto hot water vapor; and a controller configured to: receivetemperature measurements from the set of temperature sensors; determinea rate of change of temperature of the feed water inside the feed waterreservoir; determine, based on at least the rate of change oftemperature, an amount of water to be purified in a predetermined amountof time; and turn on power to the set of heating elements when theamount of water to be purified is determined to be below a threshold. 2.The water purification device of claim 1, wherein the controller isconfigured to turn off the power to the heating elements when thetemperature of the feed water inside the feed water reservoir reaches aboiling point.
 3. The water purification device of claim 1 furthercomprising: a set of one or more water level sensors configured tomeasure a level of feed water in the feed water reservoir; thecontroller configured to: receive the measurements of the level of feedwater in the feed water reservoir from the water level sensors; anddetermine an amount of feed water in the feed water reservoir from themeasurements of the level of feed water in the feed water reservoir;wherein the controller is configured to determine the amount of water tobe purified in the predetermined amount of time further based on theamount of the feed water in the feed water reservoir.
 4. The waterpurification device of claim 1 further comprising: a first valveconfigured to bring feed water into the pre-purified water reservoir;and a second valve configured to transfer at least a portion of thepre-purified water out of the pre-purified water reservoir; wherein thecontroller is configured to close the first and second valves andprovide electricity to the Peltier device in a purification cycle of thewater purification device; wherein the controller is configured todetermine the amount of water to be purified in the predetermined amountof time further based on a time elapsed since a beginning of the waterpurification cycle.
 5. The water purification device of claim 1, whereinthe controller is configured to determine the amount of water to bepurified is determined to be below a threshold when the controllerdetermines that the temperature of the feed water in the feed waterreservoir is not going to reach a boiling point in the predeterminedamount of time.
 6. The water purification device of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is configured to determine the amount of water to be purifiedis determined to be below a threshold when the controller determinesthat the temperature of the feed water in the feed water reservoir isgoing to reach a boiling point in the predetermined amount of time butthe boiling point is reached when there is not enough time remained topurify the threshold amount of water within said predetermined amount oftime.